Otium e letteratura nei Carmina Priapea (e in Marziale)1

Abstract

This paper focuses on the relationship between otium and literature in the Carmina Priapea. In the double prologue of the collection (Priap. 1-2), although lexemes and idioms are similar to those which can be found in most epigrammatic authors, there are significant differences in the use of literary topoi connected to the theme of otium. The new idea of poetry as a ‘rough’ offering of a supposedly ‘idling’ poet in Priapus’ sacred space takes shape through a number of refined allusions to Catullus, Martial, and also (with high probability) to Strato’s Paidike Mousa, in the most important metapoetic poems of the Priapea (1-2, 41, 47, 49, 80). This suggests that the collection is the work of a unique author largely inspired by Martial’s epigrammatic corpus (Mart. 1,1-4, 1,107, 8 pr., 8,3, 8,55, 11,1-6, 12 pr., and 12,1 are re-examined).